Background: Employees are undertaking a vital role in challenging the organizational practices that are contributing to the issues in contemporary society. Prior research has noted the generational shift in workplaces as an increased share of Millennials are bringing their values of sustainability to work. Employees engaging in actions to generate social change, also known as employee activism, is assumed to have either adversary or advocacy impact for organizations. Yet, what factors affect Millennials in practicing employee activism for change towards sustainability has not been proposed, thus this research will help to understand the perspectives of employees to advance current knowledge.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore Millennials’ engagement in employee activism that as a result contributes to a sustainability change in Swedish workplaces. Method: The research uses an interpretivist lens to inspect nine employees' experiences through semi-structured interviews. The research compliments as well as extends existing knowledge through an inductive approach. Conclusion: The findings indicate several enablers and/or inhibitors on three levels. Firstly on a personal level, based on an individual's personality and attitude. Secondly, in terms of interpersonal relationships, relations within the workplace was recognized as a factor. Thirdly, on an organizational level, the structure of a company and employment were also deemed as affecting significantly the activism behaviors. In addition, the findings also suggest a rising recognition of the concept among employees as well as the steps that led to improvements in organizational practices.

Background: Female entrepreneurship has been through a big upswing during the past decades. More women are deciding to start their own business and engage in the business creation world, which is proven to be one of the most important and fast-growing aspects of entrepreneurship worldwide. However, in the past, females who made such decisions have faced many obstacles and resistance in terms of treatment, financial support and combining working and family life. Further, previous research regarding female entrepreneurship and its correlation to societal change proves that the progression is affected by external factors such as governmental institutions, attitudes and fundamental assets (first developed by Baumol in 1990). Purpose: By identifying certain rapid changes that society has been through during the past decades, the purpose of this study is to highlight what these developments mean for female entrepreneurs and their current role in a changing society.  Method: This is a qualitative research based on an inductive approach where semi-structured interviews are the foundation of its empirical findings. The method has adopted the Gioia (2012) method with the purpose of identifying patterns and themes that can generate useful conclusions on the chosen topic.  Conclusion: The findings show that digitalization and technology have been two of the most significant changes in society during the past decades. These have generated more role models, new social networks, better communication and new entrepreneurial fields - all promoting the growth of female entrepreneurship. Combining work and family life seem to be primarily an obstacle and it is no longer a huge disadvantage to be a female when starting a new business. Its developments have resulted in new advantages for investments and gaining opportunities, as well as new entrepreneurial fields.

The purpose of this study was to assess the identity anchorage of persons in different societal positions. Four experimental groups were chosen to represent different societal positions, namely, students, musicians, management personnel, and nonmanagement personnel. There were 93 subjects involved in these four groups. Each subject was presented with an adapted version of the Twenty Statements Test and a questionnaire to obtain biographical data. The statements made on the Twenty Statements Test were then placed into one of the following categories: physical characteristics; social roles and institutions; characteristic ways of acting, feeling or responding in social interaction; and, broad nondifferentiating statements or denial of identity. These four modes were designated as representing the identity anchorages of a person. The salient modes of identity anchorage for each of the four experimental groups was that of characteristic ways of acting, feeling, or responding in social interaction. Two significant differences were obtained. One was that the musician sample had a significantly higher mean score of responses identifying with social roles and institutions than did the other experimental groups, and the other significant difference indicated females to identify with social roles and institutions more than males. Both of these differences were interpreted with caution as sampling error was present.

Large amounts of dredged sediment are removed from ports and river channels annually to maintain necessary depths in the maritime industry. The most common management approach for dredged soils throughout the southeast US is disposal in confined facilities. This may be the most feasible approach for ports with modest amounts of dredged soil and ample capacity for disposal. However, there is likely a more feasible option for some ports desiring to increase dredged soil containment capacity. This thesis evaluates the beneficial reuse of dredged soils after lightly cementing with 5.0% or less cement by slurry mass. A previously conducted survey was interpreted prior to performing a literature review, testing, and performing sustainability calculations for reuse of dredged soil when lightly cemented. There were 239 experiments performed as part of this thesis to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing dredged soils after lightly cementing for beneficial reuse projects near ports.

The point of departure for this thesis is a case study of Linköping University and its goal to reduce air travel carbon emissions by 30% by 2024 compared to the year 2019 level. The aim of this study is to identify aspects that influence current academic work-related travel behaviour within the “Three spheres of transformation” to explore how changes on different levels would support or hinder the implementation of the air travel carbon emission reduction goal. As human activities have been distinctly linked to climate change, it can be justified to address human behaviour concerning climate change mitigation mechanisms. To fulfil the research aim, interviews with Linköping University’s employees were conducted and the results were analysed by applying the “Three spheres of transformation” framework and the main findings from the human behaviour field. Several aspects that affect travel behaviour were identified in all three spheres of transformation that are interconnected. This study concludes that such aspects as increased data availability concerning each employee’s air travel carbon footprint to increase the understanding of the current situation and the shift in academic structures, especially in such aspects as internationalization and academic networking that can determine researcher evaluation criteria, can support the implementation of the goal. In addition to that, the shift in paradigms regarding academic success and travel in general, as well as the understanding of how these drivers affect human behaviour, can significantly support the implementation of the University’s goal and ensure a long-term change.

To achieve the goals set by Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement, a societal transformation towards climate neutrality is required. However, the idea of ‘transformation’ is conceptually vague and deeply political. It is thus important to get a better understanding of this concept. This thesis explores what participants at COP26 perceive to be the most effective drivers for societal transformations towards climate neutrality, and what variations in their perceptions are visible. This was done using surveys taken at COP26, which have been analysed using Excel and the chi-square test in SPSS. Out of the thirteen driver themes that were identified in the coding scheme, it was found that Economic Sphere and Sectors, Civil Society and Public Opinion, Knowledge and Technology, and Governmental Sphere and Institutions were perceived to be the most effective driver themes. These results corroborate important drivers proposed in existing literature. Comparing the dataset to a variety of global indexes, it was found that participants from countries that are ranked relatively low on these global indexes generally perceive Economic Sphere and Sectors as an effective driver theme, while participants from higher-ranked countries generally focused more on the driver themes Governmental Sphere and Institutions, Behavioural and Cultural Change, and Incentives. An attempt has been made to explain these results, but much more research and additional data is needed to better understand the findings.

Intergroup bias is a phenomenon of favoring one’s own group and derogating other groups. This can be expressed through an individual’s positive evaluations of the ingroup and negative evaluations of outgroups. Research has found that feeling threatened plays a relevant role for the occurrence of bias, i.e., when under threat, people tend to express increased intergroup bias. Given numerous recent societal crises (e.g., COVID-19, war, inflation) this study investigated the relationship between various types of threats, political orientation, and political intergroup bias. The groups studied were the Swedish political left and right. Data was collected via an online survey (N = 149) in which participants initially rated threat perception, followed by evaluations of political left and right supporters. The participants’ in- and outgroups were defined through stating their political identification prior to the evaluations. Threat of the political situation in Sweden was shown to be the only threat to significantly correlate with political intergroup bias. Linear regression analysis showed that both Swedish political threat and political orientation were significant predictors of intergroup bias, although political orientation was a stronger predictor. In other words, the results provided insight into the relevance of contextual correspondence between the examined threat and groups. Methodological and theoretical limitations are discussed. Controlling for personality traits and degree of political identification is suggested for future research.

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Lucretia Coffin Mott, in an era filled with events the significance of which reverberates today, spoke publicly about issues of societal and ethical concern. This study focuses on her work as a nineteenth-century female Quaker minister who through public speaking educated adults about the following: abolition of slavery, rights of women, and peaceful ways to address injustice. Separate chapters explore each of these three vital issues. Lucretia Mott ranks as a pioneer female public speaker. At a time that barred women's speaking in public, she spoke about significant issues. Her speaking admitted her to the company of American women who pioneered in speaking publicly. These endeavors to speak to "promiscuous" audiences, those comprised of adult males and females, also admitted her to the company of women who endured criticism, insults, and peril. Through a process of education, these women changed history and shaped culture. Lucretia Mott's Quaker perspective, her way with spoken words, and her womanhood distinguished her work as an educator in public forums and settings that ranged from religious meetings to the lyceum and conventions called to consider issues of national import. What could have prepared this Quaker minister--active in public domains for more than fifty years--for a place among the pioneers who advocated and practiced the right of women to speak purposefully in public forums? Lucretia Mott's commitment to the Society of Friends enabled her to be a pathfinder both in education and on important issues. Therefore, Chapter Two presents an exploration of Quaker history, spirituality, and practices to inform for purposes of historic educational analysis and interpretation. References in historical works to noteworthy innovations that originated from efforts by Quakers in American society and to successes in business sparked this inquiry. This study examined her speeches to see how they reflected Quaker principles and practices and her work as a pioneer public speaker who educated about societal and ethical issues. The study concludes that her work was energized because she knew her history, she questioned her world and she lived her faith. / Ph. D.

Mediterranean islands are vulnerable to environmental and societal challenges. Weather conditions, scarcity of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, unmanaged waste, access to healthcare and education, economic inflation, and tourism growth are some of the threats the island of Ikaria faces nowadays. The study proposes a novel combination of methodologies that combine the identification of the island challenges by using semi-structured interviews and the conceptual framework with the application of Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) to define and quantify the characteristics of households in the socio-economic sector (time use, paidwork, expenses) and ecological terms (land use, energy). The approach is conducted as a fieldwork study on the island of Ikaria, Greece. The study concludes the need to achieve 1) sustainability through an interdisciplinary framework and 2) the use of household categories as a measurement for tackling environmental challenges.